HARP OF BURMA
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 U.S.A. and 61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12, Singapore 534167
Copyright © 1966 Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Co., Limited
English translation © UNESCO 1966
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-20570
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0355-9
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
PUBLISHER’S FOREWORD
Harp of Burma is a story about the Second World War, but its message is a timeless one. First published in 1946, Michio Takeyama’s classic tale of a company of Japanese soldiers who faced the trials of war in Burma with a heart full of song has received much acclaim and achieved much renown. It has been produced on the screen and, more recently, has been recreated on the stage. In addition the author received a literary prize offered by the Mainichi Press.
It was for the younger generation that M. Takeyama intended the book, but after its initial publication in Aka Tomho, a now defunct but then leading juvenile magazine, it became enormously popular among Japanese adults. It is currently included in a series of recommended world literature classics for high school age youngsters.
On the surface, Harp of Burma is the intriguing story of men turned into soldiers, involved in a war they do not fully understand, and faced with experiences both new and baffling. It is filled with adventure, pathos, and humor,
